Summer's End
by musicinmotion
Summary: Rin finds herself feeling miserable come summer's end, and seeks solace in a double-sided stranger. One-shot, please read and review!


**A/N: **A little one-shot about Rin and the culmination of her troubles at the end of summer. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own Naruto.

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The slate sky smouldered with dark, savage clouds. The air tasted sickly sweet and mouldy, as though it had just precipitated. This was summer's way of saying goodbye; it always left with a statement. On this bleak of bleak days, Rin sat at home, trying in vain to squander any trace of positiveness left in her system. Summer had on this day tipped its hat to her and ripped what little solace she had left pressed to her chest away from her keen grasp.

A soon-to-be mother next door was experiencing morning sickness at twelve in the afternoon. _How quaint_, thought Rin, _in six-months or so there will be new life in this apartment block._With this optimistic thought in her mind, Rin stood slowly, clipped her hair back and fixed her gaze on the view from her open window. Today in Konohagakure, a Saturday, there was a big open market being held, like every Saturday. Rin made the seemingly enormous effort to travel to said market, just to rub up against strangers. When there she mingled in the great crowd which flowed and pulsed in unison, much to the uplifting of her spirits.

A smiley store holder swept a voluminous yellow flower into Rin's hand. 'To remind us of summer on a day when we can see winter looming.'

Rin thanked the store holder and fitted the flower into her hair, a clumsy smile gracing her pleasing face. Despite this burst of warmness, what truly lay in her heart was loneliness. The last time she had met with Kakashi, at least a month ago now, a brief but hurtful explosion of verbal projectiles resulted in a fractured relationship. With just the two of them now it had become increasingly hard to maintain mutual communication. Alas, a dispute was bound to erupt sooner or later.

Rin didn't want to lean on her other friends for support; she didn't think it fair to use such kindness as crutches. Her refusal to acknowledge her known support system as a reliable source of comfort is what resulted in such hollow, lonesome feelings. Today Rin didn't deny herself the luxury of self pity.

There came a time in the day when Rin began to hear the crowds suspiring tiredly, and surely enough, the numbers began dwindling. By noon the hordes that had flocked the streets were long gone and only a small minority remained, of them Rin was one. She sat on a nearby bench and watched the storekeepers pack up their wares and count their revenue.

A large group of teenagers passed Rin, they were headed for some late night establishment to share a few drinks. On a sudden, unexplained impulse, Rin jumped up and followed them, blending in quite well with the youthful group. Sure enough, minutes later, they arrived at a quiet bar at which they all sat down and ordered some sake. Rin could recognise some faces in the bar: Kurenai and Asuma sending each other shy glances, Gai getting giddy on his sake and others of her age group. They all had people around them though, unlike Rin who had to pretend to be with people.

Rin sipped at her sake, at first just to keep warm; otherwise she wouldn't normally drink the stuff, but was soon taking large gulps of the beverage, ordering more and more cups. A young man around her age came and sat next to her, from the smell of his breath she could tell he had drunk a few too. 'Hey, what's your name?' he asked, with a kind smile.

'Rin. And yours?'

'Daisuke. You don't mind if I sit here, do you?'

Rin shook her head. 'Not at all.'

He sat, and after a few awkward moments, asked, 'Are you a shinobi?'

Again, Rin shook her head. 'No, I used to be, but I'm a medical-nin at the hospital now,' she said, with the tiniest of hiccups afterward. 'Are you?'

An expression fleetingly crossed his face before he said, with a winning smile, 'Uh...Well...Yes, yes I am. In fact, I just got back from a mission today…'

He proceeded to tell her all the gory detail of this horrendous mission. Children dead, men with crazed eyes, bloodied weapons and torn clothes. Rin was shocked by the end of it. 'How can you be so unaffected?' she asked in amazement.

Daisuke shrugged. 'It's not a matter of it not affecting me, it's a matter of me not showing whether it has affected me or not. I can tell you've been affected by something. Tell me about it.'

Rin had only ever discussed details of _that_mission with her now late sensei and Kakashi. Yet, before she knew it, she was telling Daisuke, an absolute stranger completely personal things.

It felt good to tell a stranger personal things.

'Now I have no idea where Kakashi is, and to tell you the truth, I'm kind of worried about him,' said Rin, having nearly told him her whole life story, wondering where the words and breath had come from.

Daisuke wiped a drop of sake from the corner of his mouth, before twisting his face into a strange kind of smirk that Rin wasn't sure how to interpret. 'Kakashi eh? I'm actually on his team. You must be the one he talks about so much. I can see why.'

'Eh?' Rin is shocked. 'You know Kakashi?'

'Everybody's heard of Kakashi-san, I just happen to work with him. Oh, Rin, you've been through a lot, losing Obito-san and Hokage-sama who was close to you. You know, Rin, I really feel for you. But hey, it's getting late, I'll walk you home.'

'But the bill…'

Daisuke smiled. 'Don't worry, it's on me.'

The two left the near-empty bar and headed towards Rin's place, chattering happily, and, though Rin cringed to admit it, flirting somewhat. After putting a mile or two between them and the bar, though, Rin was wondering if all the sake had gone to her head, because Daisuke's gentleman-like speech and manner had disintegrated to a gruff and cold dialogue. It was as though he had suddenly become irritated and angry at her. She kept walking, but in silence. They reached a quiet street and suddenly Daisuke turned on Rin and grabbed her wrist, pushing her hard against a wall. Rin's eyes widened.

'D-Daisuke!'

The boy ignored her and snatched her other wrist, holding it to the wall above her head. He pressed his body against hers so she couldn't kick him, and despite Rin's fierce struggles, Daisuke was much stronger than her. Rin quaked at the drunken glint in his eye as his intently dark face loomed towards her. She turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut, but it didn't stop his mouth from finding hers.

Tastes like sake.

Rin shook her head, effectively breaking the forced kiss and screamed as loud as possible, despite how hoarse the alcohol and terror had made her voice. Daisuke, in an angry stupor, released one of Rin's wrists to clap his hand over her mouth and slam her head into the wall behind her. Rin took advantage of his mistake and in spite of the white spots that marred her vision; she connected a full blown punch to the side of his head. He stumbled back, but just as she found her wits and began to run, he regained balance and was after her in a second.

Rin's heart beat painfully in her chest as she ran from the possessed Daisuke who was snapping at her heels for closeness. _What an idiot I am, _thought Rin miserably. Deciding she needed to find a public place, Rin began towards the nearest site where she knew there'd be people for sure, the hospital. But it was difficult to navigate the tight streets at night with a swift shinobi on her tail.

Rin found herself shouting, 'Kakashi!' as she ran, as if to elicit his figure before her in a shimmering knightly light. Alas, her cries were to no avail, as the only who appeared at her side was Daisuke, who grabbed her arm and jerked her to the floor where she landed heavily and skidded from momentum, hissing as her hand scraped to break her fall.

'Shut up!' yelled Daisuke, suddenly hulking over her like an intimidating mountain.

Rin's courage crumbled under the acrid glare of the boy and her mouth clamped shut. Through her mind rushed scenarios she'd never even imagined, about the things Daisuke could do to her; it made her tremble.

'No, don't...' she whimpered as he reached down to gently stroke her cheek.

The menace in his voice was not lost on Rin. 'You're stupid, you know? Pretty, yes, but stupid. Kakashi? I've never even met the guy! You're too hung up on him to notice the little things, or maybe it's just the sake,' he laughed.

Rin looked up at him and suddenly, as though the hazy spell of alcohol had lifted from her mind, realised. He was no shinobi. She could tell now by his lack of hitai-ate and the lack of chakra in his body. He was just a smooth talker with a bad motive. While Daisuke may have revealed this to scare her perhaps, or just to revel in his having duped her, Rin suddenly felt empowered. She had been a pupil of the Fourth, the late Hokage-sama, she was stronger than this low-life loser.

Flushed with shame at having acted like a stupid weakling, Rin vowed to turn this situation around to her favour. So, keeping her face blank, she slowly raised herself to her knees, but before she could stand, Daisuke was there, kicking her back to the floor. Slamming back down, Rin shuddered, but used the time while she was down to clear her angry thoughts and strategise.

Daisuke laughed at her. 'My goodness! Not in all of Konoha could there be a more stupid girl!'

At that, Rin tensed her muscles and sent a swiping kick at Daisuke's legs, swiftly and effectively felling him. Before he could react, Rin was on her feet and performing the jutsu Kakashi had taught her. When Daisuke finally stood, he found himself surrounded by three Rin's, all glaring at him and poised to fight.

'This is for toying with me!' shouted one of the Rin's, punching him in the face.

'This is for touching me!' cried another, kneeing him in the groin.

'And this is for calling me stupid!' yelled the last, round-house kicking him to the ground.

Daisuke writhed and groaned on the floor. Two of the Rin's disappeared in a vanishing haze, leaving the real Rin to step forward and rest a foot on the boy's side, leaning down to look him in the face.

'I hope you've learnt your lesson, creep: don't mess with shinobi!'

---

It was an odd sight to say the least, the stoic looking, normally sweet and placid, Rin dragging a bound and beaten dark haired boy off to the penitentiary. She was determined though, and if he struggled at all, would slap or punch him to shut him up.

The ninja on duty there was surprised. Normally young girls don't bring in criminals, and not at this hour of the night. 'What's the problem, Miss?'

Rin dumped Daisuke on the ground. 'This,' she looked at him in disgust, 'Pig, tried to assault me earlier this evening, impersonating a shinobi amongst other vile offences. He must be incarcerated immediately lest he try his smooth talking on a girl more...defenceless than me.'

The ninja raised his eyebrow, but shrugged and took Daisuke to the cell block himself. Rin watched in satisfaction as the boy was led out of her sight. Turning, she walked out into the chilly night hair to make her way home.

Kakashi had not come to her aid this time. He must be on a mission. _I didn't need his help though, _Rin thought to herself, a little proud. But then she considered a situation in which Daisuke was really a shinobi, and realised that she probably wouldn't have been able to fight him off. It left her feeling somewhat dismayed, but inside she remembered the inspiring talks and words their late sensei would share with them, making her want to train so hard she dropped, and she had. Rin made a quiet resolution to return to her training, if only to become somewhat more independent of Kakashi, or to make him, perhaps, proud of her and appreciate that she wouldn't call to him like she had today at every inkling of danger.

Sighing under the strain of events and the thoughts whirling in her mind about her friend, Rin found that she had arrived outside her apartment. Inside she quickly changed into a night-gown and made to flop onto the bed before noticing something nestled against her pillow. Picking it up, Rin turned the flower in her hand, admiring its delicate, pale petals and fragrant scent. Attached to the stem was a brief note.

_Rin, I've left for a mission today. Please be careful while I'm gone, we'll talk when I get back._

_Kakashi._

Rin laughed shortly. A bit late, she thought, but placed the flower tenderly on the bedside table. This was a token of Kakashi's forgiveness and apology for the fight and misgivings. Yes, they would talk when he got back. Rin would make things right and pray they never went wrong again.

They would definitely talk when he got back.

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**A/N: **I hope you liked it! Please R&R and let me know.


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